I listen to a few boxing podcasts and am always curious about what will be said when this topic comes up. I feel like Tyson should by all means be able to beat Paul despite the work Paul has put in, Tyson's age and talk that Paul can deliver a fairly solid punch. Especially since he was not able to beat Tommy Fury. Thirty years is a big gap, but Tyson looked much better against Jones Jr than Holyfield did on his return. I think the appeal for most is the idea of seeing Paul get shown up in the ring and even Paul knows it and could care less because it gives him more attention and the mighty dollar.
As for Mike, when he bit Holyfield I was really disgusted and then saddened to see him in the post fight interview after the McBride fight. I do like his recent turn where he is more open and has a good sense of humor about himself. I personally loved the animated Mike Tyson Mysteries where he voiced himself. Lots of truly funny moments in that show.
While I'm on boxing, I just finished Headshot based on your recommendation. It was good, thank you. It had a similar approach to The Widow Basquiat I messaged you about a while back with its time shifting, inner/outer dynamic prose.
There were a couple of episodes where I felt that they leaned on crude for crude's sake a little too hard, but there were some real gems in there too. Completely worth checking out in my opinion.
A Tyson story always has possibilities, would be fun to hear yours.
All else aside, Mike has had, and still has, skills in the ring that whichever Paul this is can't even dream of. He might be slower to access those muscle memories, but they're still there; and they don't all involve him destroying guys off the jump.
Mike can and may move in ways that no trainer alive can teach; + this manque' of an "opponent" couldn't cope with on his best day.
They'll string it out a couple-few rounds, sure; but at some point there's gonna be a "click" inside Mike, and whether he means to or not, he's gonna vaporize this dude.
Won't be about emotion, or pride, or anything else; just the deep-driven programming of a great fighter, with hundreds of rounds of experience getting hit for real.
I hope you're right. For all Mike's power, the man can move. An amateur like me would literally not be able to lay a glove on him -- even with a slower reaction time. And I see it all the time at the gym where people of different age, size, and experience spar in the ring and experience always wins.
So, I am a super fan of Mike Tyson. I come from boxing people. I saw Mike fight in person in both the Kid Dynamite era, and during his championship run. Like the fighters before Mike, Mike cannot and should not be judged by the social media bullshit standards of the day. Yes, Tyson has whored himself out in many ways for a check. But, having even the smallest inkling of how he came up, I think he respects boxing way too much to whore out boxing. I might be wrong though, Tyson might have moved past caring what anyone thinks. Legacy discussions are for someone else. Mike has proven over time that he is not prone to talk about himself or his legacy with anyone. It is my hope that Mike does not fight Jake Paul.
I have never recovered from what Leonard did in stealing the fight against Hearns. So, I have little faith. But, I liked writing a post about boxing since you wrote yours.
I don't think Mike is wired to just cash a check. Not by losing to some "punk-ass white boy." Of course, it is technically possible that he gets caught, but I doubt it.
That being said, you know more about the Paul kids than I do. I don't think I've spent more than 5 minutes total absorbing any form of media involving them. I only know they are rich and kids like them, kinda how my nieces/nephews really like that Mr. Beast guy, whom I only know is pretty rich as well. I digress...
Tyson doesn't really "need" the money. I'm sure he'd like to have all the money he once had, but his brand will always be strong and he can generate revenue at his choosing. Unless, there is something legal written on some NDA form about not pummeling the kid, he's gonna muderlize him.
That's a lot more thought than I expected to put into this. Off to make a PB&J. Great newsletter, as always.
Thank you! I hope you're right. That's the great thing about sports, IMO, there's what we want to happen, what should happen, and what actually happens. I had an opportunity to work on a book with a famous YouTuber for no money, no credit, and a tight deadline. Naturally, I turned it down, but my nephews thought I was crazy!
Great points on Tyson. I view his past more sympathetically because of his last 15 years when it seems like he has really tried to have some real perspective, which isn't always common as we age.
This is a brilliant analysis - thanks. I used to loathe Tyson. Buster Douglas knocking him out was one of my favorite moments in sports. But over the years I’ve come to admire him despite all his faults. Not to mention that at his best, he can be f’ing hilarious. But I have to think Paul’s going to win and I hate the idea of Tyson going out like that..
I listen to a few boxing podcasts and am always curious about what will be said when this topic comes up. I feel like Tyson should by all means be able to beat Paul despite the work Paul has put in, Tyson's age and talk that Paul can deliver a fairly solid punch. Especially since he was not able to beat Tommy Fury. Thirty years is a big gap, but Tyson looked much better against Jones Jr than Holyfield did on his return. I think the appeal for most is the idea of seeing Paul get shown up in the ring and even Paul knows it and could care less because it gives him more attention and the mighty dollar.
As for Mike, when he bit Holyfield I was really disgusted and then saddened to see him in the post fight interview after the McBride fight. I do like his recent turn where he is more open and has a good sense of humor about himself. I personally loved the animated Mike Tyson Mysteries where he voiced himself. Lots of truly funny moments in that show.
While I'm on boxing, I just finished Headshot based on your recommendation. It was good, thank you. It had a similar approach to The Widow Basquiat I messaged you about a while back with its time shifting, inner/outer dynamic prose.
I didn't know about the series! Someday I'll share my Mike Tyson story...
There were a couple of episodes where I felt that they leaned on crude for crude's sake a little too hard, but there were some real gems in there too. Completely worth checking out in my opinion.
A Tyson story always has possibilities, would be fun to hear yours.
All else aside, Mike has had, and still has, skills in the ring that whichever Paul this is can't even dream of. He might be slower to access those muscle memories, but they're still there; and they don't all involve him destroying guys off the jump.
Mike can and may move in ways that no trainer alive can teach; + this manque' of an "opponent" couldn't cope with on his best day.
They'll string it out a couple-few rounds, sure; but at some point there's gonna be a "click" inside Mike, and whether he means to or not, he's gonna vaporize this dude.
Won't be about emotion, or pride, or anything else; just the deep-driven programming of a great fighter, with hundreds of rounds of experience getting hit for real.
I hope you're right. For all Mike's power, the man can move. An amateur like me would literally not be able to lay a glove on him -- even with a slower reaction time. And I see it all the time at the gym where people of different age, size, and experience spar in the ring and experience always wins.
So, I am a super fan of Mike Tyson. I come from boxing people. I saw Mike fight in person in both the Kid Dynamite era, and during his championship run. Like the fighters before Mike, Mike cannot and should not be judged by the social media bullshit standards of the day. Yes, Tyson has whored himself out in many ways for a check. But, having even the smallest inkling of how he came up, I think he respects boxing way too much to whore out boxing. I might be wrong though, Tyson might have moved past caring what anyone thinks. Legacy discussions are for someone else. Mike has proven over time that he is not prone to talk about himself or his legacy with anyone. It is my hope that Mike does not fight Jake Paul.
I hope you're right about respecting boxing. We'll see what goes down in Texas!
I have never recovered from what Leonard did in stealing the fight against Hearns. So, I have little faith. But, I liked writing a post about boxing since you wrote yours.
I don't think Mike is wired to just cash a check. Not by losing to some "punk-ass white boy." Of course, it is technically possible that he gets caught, but I doubt it.
That being said, you know more about the Paul kids than I do. I don't think I've spent more than 5 minutes total absorbing any form of media involving them. I only know they are rich and kids like them, kinda how my nieces/nephews really like that Mr. Beast guy, whom I only know is pretty rich as well. I digress...
Tyson doesn't really "need" the money. I'm sure he'd like to have all the money he once had, but his brand will always be strong and he can generate revenue at his choosing. Unless, there is something legal written on some NDA form about not pummeling the kid, he's gonna muderlize him.
That's a lot more thought than I expected to put into this. Off to make a PB&J. Great newsletter, as always.
Thank you! I hope you're right. That's the great thing about sports, IMO, there's what we want to happen, what should happen, and what actually happens. I had an opportunity to work on a book with a famous YouTuber for no money, no credit, and a tight deadline. Naturally, I turned it down, but my nephews thought I was crazy!
Great points on Tyson. I view his past more sympathetically because of his last 15 years when it seems like he has really tried to have some real perspective, which isn't always common as we age.
Very true. You can tell he really grapples with it.
This is a brilliant analysis - thanks. I used to loathe Tyson. Buster Douglas knocking him out was one of my favorite moments in sports. But over the years I’ve come to admire him despite all his faults. Not to mention that at his best, he can be f’ing hilarious. But I have to think Paul’s going to win and I hate the idea of Tyson going out like that..
Thank you! I want to see a good clean fight but who knows what we'll get.